Category Archives: Food Donors

Ocean State Job Lot continues to make a difference for low-income families who are struggling with hunger. This week 30,000 pounds of General Mills food items were delivered to Connecticut Food Bank including pasta, soup and mashed potatoes. It’s all part of Ocean State Job Lot’s Three Square Meals program, Each holiday season, Job Lot matches the dollars donated by customers at the register during the holiday season and uses the funds to purchase food for donation to area food banks. This year, a total of $4.2 million worth of shelf stable food will be delivered to food banks around New England and New York – the largest food donation by a private company in New England. The General Mills food donation comes to Connecticut Food Bank at a critical time. Children will soon begin summer vacation which means low-income families will not have access to free/reduced price school meals... Continue reading »

Watson Inc., of West Haven was selected as this year’s Food Industry Hunger Action Hero, because it recognizes that hunger is year round problem. Not only did Watson donate 2,000 pounds of first-run buttermilk pancake mix to Connecticut Food Bank last summer – the company also gave employees information about the problem of summer hunger so they knew why a special run of the pancake mix was needed at that critical time of year. At the holidays, Watson hosted an employee food and fund drive and upon hearing of additional need, they scheduled another special production of pancake mix for Connecticut Food Bank. Watson’s involvement in alleviating hunger didn’t end there. The company purchased kid-friendly food items in the spring and organized an employee lunch box packing event with the food going to two Windham County programs, TEEG and Daily Bread. This summer, Watson doubled its commitment to alleviating hunger... Continue reading »

Each growing season Lockwood Farm, located at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in Hamden, donates its entire harvest to Connecticut Food Bank. Donating everything from acorn squash to zucchini, more than 102,000 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables have made it to the dinner plates of low-income Connecticut families over the last 10 years. It is through generous donors like Lockwood Farm that Connecticut Food Bank is able to increase the distribution of fresh produce which is often too expensive and is most lacking from the diets of people who struggle with hunger. We are grateful for our partnership with Lockwood Farm and value the dedication and generosity of its Farm Manager, Rich Cecerelli.

When Paul O’Leary of Newtown joined Connecticut Food Bank as Chief Operating Officer last summer, he was looking for an opportunity to involve young people, especially high school students from his hometown, in the food bank’s mission to provide nutritious food to people in need. As the former COO of Danbury’s Dandy Foods, a wholesale food distributor, O’Leary frequently crossed paths with Newtown High School teacher Brian Neumeyer who oversees the school’s Culinary Arts program along with Lori Hoagland. Dandy often supplied food products to the popular program that enables approximately 200 students to learn about food preparation and restaurant management skills. “I told Chef Neumeyer about my new position and the possibility of partnering the food bank with the Culinary Arts Program in the near future,” said O’Leary. “Little did I know the opportunity would present itself right away in the form of the Feed the Need Program.”... Continue reading »